Chapter 1223: Heavenly Dao Grants Great Strength

Rewind to a moment earlier.

The Faceless Sacred Emperor, who had devoured the remnants of Congyunhai's world will and returned to the Great Qi Minor World, finally gained a clearer understanding of the changes occurring within himself.

Previously, he had to focus entirely on the numerous and intricate affairs within the Sacred Dynasty. This left him with very little free time for contemplation. Now, however, Li Ping could effortlessly manage all matters, big and small, within the Sacred Dynasty, using less than a third of his power.

Besides a pure quantitative increase in his divine soul, Li Ping also felt his senses had become sharper. Gazing upon this world, he discovered the nascent consciousness of the Minor World, which was being nurtured due to the world's elevation. Before this, the Great Qi Minor World had simply operated instinctively, unlike the Earthen Yellow Heavenly Dao, which displayed clear "personification." However, Li Ping's continuous transformation of the Great Qi Minor World had now fulfilled the basic conditions for the birth of self-awareness.

The birth of a world's will was a considerably long process. Li Ping estimated that at the current normal pace, it would likely take at least a thousand years. However, if Li Ping continued to facilitate Great Qi's elevation, this time would be shortened accordingly.

The Great Qi Minor World owed its current state entirely to Li Ping's transformations. Moreover, the Sacred Dynasty's fortune, now integrated with Li Ping, was flourishing irresistibly, and its powerful presence subtly influenced the Minor World in various ways. Although cultivators were naturally born and nurtured by heaven and earth, in Li Ping's case, the Great Qi Minor World now seemed more like his creation. The grace of its recreation was akin to that of heaven and earth's own parents.

Seated on the Sacred Emperor's throne, various profound insights continuously surfaced in his mind. These insights stemmed not only from his own thoughts but also from the assistance of this very world. Li Ping felt as though he had grasped some extremely crucial information.

However, at that very moment, his thoughts were unexpectedly disrupted by an inner warning.

"Hmm?"

Upon checking, Li Ping discovered that one of the targets caught in his refined Primeval Energy net showed signs of breaking free. Subtle, peculiar fluctuations emanated from the target, as if attempting to escape the golden net's restraint.

"Sun Luyuan?"

Li Ping still had some recollection of Sun Luyuan, a Dao Integration cultivator from the Myriad Immortals Alliance who had recently pledged allegiance to the Sacred Dynasty.

"Could it be that someone from the Myriad Immortals Alliance discovered him and took action?" Li Ping wondered.

But soon, he sensed what was happening to Sun Luyuan.

"Oh?"

Li Ping's heart instantly grew a little solemn.

Using the refined Primeval Energy within Sun Luyuan, Li Ping instantly appeared by his side. He placed a hand on Sun Luyuan's shoulder, and a surging golden power continuously poured into his body. Soon after, Sun Luyuan's body, which had been slowly turning somewhat transparent, solidified once more.

"Thank you, Sacred Emperor, for saving my life." Realizing what had just happened, Sun Luyuan said, still shaken, his face filled with fear and gratitude.

Li Ping slowly withdrew his hand, but his senses remained fixed on Sun Luyuan's back. He was unable to directly observe the entity named Qingfeng. Not even by influencing Qingfeng's perception of the outside world.

"You're an interesting one."

If Qingfeng's voice hadn't conveniently sounded, Li Ping would have almost thought it was Sun Luyuan's illusion. It was hard to believe that anything within the Earthen Yellow Realm could elude Li Ping's perception.

"What are you?" Li Ping asked, not with any intent to insult, but rather with a serious tone.

Sun Luyuan lowered his head, concealing all expression on his face.

Unexpectedly, Qingfeng showed no anger: "I wish I knew myself."

"It's just a shame I forgot," she said with some regret. "My memory isn't very good. Besides Xiao Xu and Ah Liu, I don't remember others very clearly..."

"What's your name?" Qingfeng asked.

"Li Ping," Li Ping replied concisely.

He sensed an aura similar to that of Revered Yin from Qingfeng, yet subtly different.

"Perhaps I can help you remember." His intuition told him that the secrets Qingfeng held might be beneficial when he eventually went to war with the Myriad Immortals Alliance. So, he offered.

"Hehe, I sense you don't have good intentions."

To his surprise, Qingfeng immediately saw through his true thoughts.

"Indeed, there are few in this world who truly wish me well." Qingfeng's tone became mournful and low once more.

The moment Li Ping heard these words, golden Primeval Energy surged spontaneously within him. This was a sign that his automatic body protection had been triggered. Since Qingfeng had chosen to act, Li Ping naturally wouldn't hold back.

Behind him, the magnificent phantom of the Sacred Dynasty suddenly materialized. Continuous golden light streamed forth from the Sacred Dynasty's image. It formed a giant hand, directly seizing the location where Qingfeng was. Li Ping thought that since he couldn't observe the entity, he might as well directly seal off and take away the space Qingfeng occupied, bringing it back for slow study.

However, this exceedingly peculiar Qingfeng was not something that could be subdued by such a simple method. The golden giant hand returned to the Sacred Dynasty's phantom, leaving behind only a black void—proof that a small section of space had completely vanished.

Yet, Qingfeng's voice still emanated from that void.

"Do you want to take me back?"

"Do you want to be with me forever? If so, why resist?"

"Nonsense." The Faceless Sacred Emperor responded to Qingfeng with a cold snort.

On Li Ping's previously featureless face, vague facial features subtly began to manifest. Yet, they did not resemble those of an ordinary human. They looked more like the evolution of different energies. Especially his two eyes, which were silver-white vortices, shining as brightly as the starry river in the sky.

"The power of heaven and earth, be upon me."

Li Ping's majestic voice thundered throughout the area. The sky above Luoyan Province instantly changed colors, stirred by his words.

"If you want to drag me down, you'll have to see if you have the weight for it!"

Sensing the extremely close connection between himself and the Earthen Yellow Heavenly Dao, Li Ping then released the protection of his golden Primeval Energy, allowing Qingfeng's strange power to engulf him.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Bolts of lightning flashed within the dense storm clouds, and the ground trembled slightly. For a fleeting moment, the color of Li Ping's body seemed to fade. But it quickly returned to normal. On the contrary, a somewhat blurry image was surprisingly pulled forth from Qingfeng!

"I found you!"

Two beams of light instantly shot out from Li Ping's swirling eyes. Like chains, they bound Qingfeng.

"Get out!"

Li Ping roared, and the golden giant hand reappeared. It seized the silver chains and pulled fiercely. The small, healing black spatial void from earlier instantly showed signs of violently collapsing outwards.